MH370: Revelations Over Mental State of 'Deeply Troubled' Pilot

There were revelations last night about the private life of the captain of the doomed MH370 flight. Zaharie Ahmad Shah was said to be “deeply troubled” by the breakdown of his marriage and may not have been able to fly.

The Times reports that a source close to investigation tells them that part of the inquiry is now focussing on Captain Zaharie’s mental state after his wife decided to leave him just before he took control of the ill-fated flight.

Although authorities maintain that they have found nothing to suggest the captain hijacked the flight, an unnamed former colleague told the New Zealand Herald that Captain Zaharie’s “world was crumbling”.

He said that Zaharie had serious family problems, not just with his wife but also with another woman he was seeing. The colleague said that Captain Zaharie was so upset after his wife left him that he may have diverted and crashed the plane as a “last joyride”.

If this were a case of pilot suicide, it would be unusual, however. MH370 spent seven hours in the air before disappearing, but all previous known cases of pilot suicide have occurred within one hour of take off.

Friends and family of the captain have also defended him. Zaharie’s youngest son told the New Straits Times: “I’ve read everything online. But I’ve ignored all the speculation. I know my father better.”

The revelations come as efforts to retrieve potential debris from the flights were frustrated by poor weather conditions.

A further 122 objects were found on Satellite imagery, Malaysia’s transport minister said yesterday